Fear of the Dark
by Beaslays
Summary: The three people in Karat's life who dealt with the dark, and the one among them who battled the light. A one-shot. Bierce/Karat. Minor spoilers for the end of Season One.


A/N: So...while procrastinating on Silver Roses--er, I mean, while thinking long and hard about the characterization and plot-line of Silver Roses, I was suddenly bitten quite violently by this plot bunny. The result of which is this little oneshot that only has a few hours behind it. I apologize if it seems rushed and if the characters are OOC (which they likely ARE), but I really, really needed to get this out of my system. And, at the same time, a WARNING: this is pretty much my first actual attempt at any kind of romance at all.

For the sake of this fic, the whole MardaB war happens a bit later, when everyone's a little older and into their early teens. It's still more or less entirely the same though.

Note also that this has absolutely NOTHING to do with Silver Roses. It's just a silly little exploration of character relationships.

**Disclaimer:** Battle B-Daman belongs to Inuki Eiji/Takara/Hasbro. This is a fan-made piece of work and is not for profit in any way at all.**

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**Fear of the Dark**

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For as long as she could remember, she had been afraid of the dark. Her world had always been one of light, where everything was visible and nothing could be hidden in the shadows.

It stemmed from her Daddy's own fear of the dark, of course. She knew the story of how her father had once been a poor man, living in the shadows and being haunted by the dark. She knew well how he came to be the rich and powerful man he was now, through many sacrifices, great hardship and hard work.

Her Daddy had insisted on keeping her world illuminated so that she would never experience the hardships he had once suffered.

Karat had always believed her Daddy was right, that a world with any darkness at all was a world of pain and sacrifice and poverty.

So she had been afraid of the dark.

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Then Bull came into her life, showing her that the darkness could never harm her if she didn't let it. She'd rejected him at first, running away whenever he showed his real self. Karat had sought out his other selves, never thinking for a moment that, by doing so, she was killing him.

She had nearly killed him through her blind love of his other selves, but in the end, she saw Bull for who he truly was…a being of the dark, but one kind to her. All throughout the short time they were together, Bull had never been anything other than good to her.

He had always been an enigma to her, but through many a time spent together wandering the streets of Neon City, she had come to understand him.

Bull had never wanted to be a part of the dark, it was his condition that made him so. He was a kind boy, good at heart, and not one who would naturally want to be dark. Yet, he had accepted his state, and never shied away from the reality of his condition.

So she decided to love him. All of him.

In a way, she had fallen in love with the dark.

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The war against MardaB had been yet another challenge to her.

And it had been how she met _him_, the young boy who heralded the darkness itself as MardaB's top lieutenant. The very same who one who would save her, become her equal.

Prior to meeting _him_, stories of his power and fearsome countenance had reached her ears. They spoke of a Bdaplayer more powerful than any before, and whose battles were always like fighting Hell itself. They spoke of a charismatic young boy, who would lure you in before attacking you and stealing your soul—the devil himself, they called him.

Then the Neo Shadow Alliance rose, overpowering every town or city in the Bdaworld. Every city except hers—Neon. Her Daddy wasted no time in preparing themselves for the inevitable battle, and, together with the survivors of the other cities, they managed to build themselves a fortress. All throughout those busy days, Karat had been unable to spare a single thought for the darkness surrounding her.

It was not long before she met _him _for real, upon the battlefield that was littered with Bdaplayers turned to stone. He had floated just overhead, and she had ignored him, tears flowing without restraint as she held onto the cold, lifeless form of her beloved, now a statue.

They remained that way for a while. He, floating overhead, watching her with blood red eyes; she, holding Bull, not caring for the death all around her, for the darkness waiting to catch her.

Somehow, she had been able to muster the courage to ask him why he had spared her.

He had given her no answer, only floating down and reaching a hand out to her. She had flinched at his touch, expecting a cold feel, only to jolt in surprise when she realized he was warm.

His next words had been the last thing she heard before she felt her soul being pulled away, the darkness engulfing her as her body became stone.

She had never understood the dark, but now she knew that the dark had never understood her either.

"_How can a human like you be filled with so much light?"_

Her stone countenance had given him no verbal answer, only a smile that would be frozen in time forever.

Bierce's eyes had been devoid of any light or warmth as he returned to MardaB.

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She had not been expecting to see him again, but there he was, sitting atop the ruins of MardaB's airship, framed by the setting sun. It seemed that he had yet to notice her as she picked her way through the debris and towards him.

He was watching the sunset, his gaze intent on the horizon. She made her way as close as she could, several steps from the large piece of debris he sat upon.

"I will fade soon."

His voice rang through the air, barely a whisper yet somehow loud enough for her to hear. She hesitated, before moving even closer and latching onto the debris, pulling herself up to where he sat. He kept his gaze on the setting sun, even when she made to sit next to him.

"I'm surprised you haven't yet," she said, the words slipping through her lips with a cold sense of ease. He flinched at her words, and when she reached out to touch him, he drew back.

He avoided her gaze.

"The darkness will be welcome," he said, still looking away from her, "I won't have to deal with this pointless existence any longer."

She remembered then what Yamato had said about the boy sitting before her—that he had been created by MardaB, for no other purpose than to battle and carry out MardaB's evil whims.

"I'll be free from this light," he added, gesturing to the sunset, "I'll finally be free."

"…I don't understand you at all," she said in a quiet voice.

He laughed, and it was a bitter sound, much unlike the warmth of the area around them. "You don't have to. You only need to go on with your life."

She gave him no answer, and they fell into a silence. It was not long before she found herself thinking about what the future held. Tomorrow, she, her Daddy and several volunteers would begin with the plans for rebuilding, and soon, Neon City would thrive once more.

Then, perhaps, she would marry Bull, and she would be there to aid him as they managed the family business together…

She had only to go on with her life, and forget about the darkness.

The more she willed herself to, the more she found she could not.

"Stay," she said without much though, "We could use your help to rebuild."

He laughed, this one of seeming genuine amusement. He stood then, turning to face her, and it was then that she saw how _tired_ he looked. His eyes held little light when they finally met hers, and his motions were far slower than they had been that fateful day.

Hesitant, she stood as well, reaching out and cupping his cheek in her hand. This time, he did not shy away from her touch; he only remained still, tensing at the contact.

"I've accepted my fate," he said, "There's nothing you can do to change that."

She sighed, lowering her hand and looking away.

"I don't understand you either," he said, and she felt a hand on _her_ cheek, gently guiding her to look at him. She saw then that he was smiling, not the smirk nor the frown he constantly wore. Eyes the color of blood locked onto eyes the color of the sky, and they both knew then what the other was.

She was his light, the one who would light the way for him as he faded. She would never forget him, her eyes held that promise.

He was her shadow, the one who would watch her as she forged her future. He would never harm her again.

As he began to break away into orbs of bluish light, he leaned in and kissed her. She received him with no complaint, reaching up to run her hand through his hair, though her grip soon found nothing. The warmth of his hand, wrapped around her waist, too began to rapidly fade.

She closed her eyes, not wanting to see the final moment.

When she opened her eyes, she was standing atop the ruins of MardaB's airship, with nothing but the cold embrace of the night as her companion.

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**End

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A/N: What? This pairing has fascinated me for a long time now...

_Reviews (and concrit) are much appreciated!_


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